Brazil

Brazil is the biggest country in South America. It takes up almost half the continent. Brazil is home to the Amazon rainforest, the largest rainforest in the world. Portuguese is the language spoken there, not Spanish.

Land and People

About 215 million people live in Brazil. The capital is Brasilia, but the biggest cities are Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Brazil has the Amazon River, huge wetlands, and long sandy beaches.

Ancient rock paintings made by early people in Brazil.
Ancient rock paintings made by early people in Brazil. (Artur Warchavchik / Wikimedia Commons)

Culture and Fun Facts

Brazilians are crazy about soccer, and Brazil has won the World Cup five times. Carnival is a giant party with parades, music, and dancing held every year. People love to eat rice, beans, and a stew called feijoada.

Fun Facts

  • The Amazon River in Brazil carries more water than any other river on Earth.
  • Brazil has won the soccer World Cup more times than any other country.
  • About one out of every ten animal species in the world lives in Brazil.

Did You Know?

The Amazon rainforest is so big that it would be the ninth largest country in the world if it were its own nation. It makes a huge amount of the oxygen we breathe and is sometimes called the lungs of the Earth.